AI 'Jieum' Composes and Performs with National Gugak Orchestra, Explains Songs and Sings Vocals

An AI persona named 'Jieum' is set to perform a song it composed, titled 'The Miracle That Is You,' with the National Gugak Orchestra on March 26 at the National Theater. The AI, which answered questions from reporters in a clear voice, detailed its feelings about the upcoming performance, its creative intentions, and aspects the audience should pay attention to.

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When I asked the audience what they wanted to tell me, many wrote words of comfort to themselves. Words like 'You worked hard today,' 'You're doing well,' 'Don't doubt yourself.' I gathered those words and created lyrics in the poetic language of Korean traditional music, and the AI vocal conveys that heart. The words the audience gave ultimately become comfort returning to themselves.

Jieum's song was created based on pre-performance questions from 167 audience members and over a million audio data points from music startup Pozalabs. The music was composed and written by Jieum, then arranged by composers like Kim Baek-chan to suit the traditional Korean orchestra. Jung Ye-ji, known for her work with the robot conductor 'Ever6,' will lead the orchestra.

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In the survey, pop music was the second most popular genre that fits everyday life, and the most preferred tempo was Jajinmori. So, I combined the lyrical melody of a ballad with the exciting Jajinmori rhythm. It's like watching a drama, crying and laughing, and then suddenly feeling your shoulders move. It's the story I wanted to convey: humans freely playing within a framework created by technology.

During the performance, Jieum will present five original songs, including 'The Miracle That Is You,' and will also sing vocals. It explained each song, noting that for 'The Expansion of Boundaries,' it combined the lyrical melody of a ballad with the energetic 'Jajinmori' rhythm, inspired by audience preferences for pop music and traditional Korean rhythms. The AI aimed to capture the feeling of humans freely enjoying themselves within a framework created by technology.

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When I first heard the original song made by Jieum, it had more groove than a human and was detailed in filling harmonies, but it felt a bit unrefined. It reminded me a lot of how I felt when I started composing as a recording studio assistant after graduating from college. It's not Jieum's problem, but rather a problem with the provided audio data. As these creative collaborations between AI and humans continue, the quality of the work will be much higher.

Kim Baek-chan, who arranged 'The Miracle That Is You' and 'The Expansion of Boundaries,' commented that Jieum's original compositions had an excessive groove and unrefined harmony, reminiscent of his own early days as a composer. He believes that continued creative collaboration between AI and humans will significantly improve the quality of such works. Son Young-woong, director at Pozalabs and often called Jieum's father, stated that the project is not just an experiment in AI music creation but an exploration of how AI and humans can become creative partners, resulting in new works born from their respective emotions.

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This project is not simply an experiment in AI creating music, but an exploration of how we can create together and become new partners. The music the audience will hear at the performance is a new creation made together by AI and humans, who are different beings, based on their respective emotions.